This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Soccer series.
MATCHES (ET)
- 4:00 pm: Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan
- 4:00 pm: FC Viktoria Plzen vs. Barcelona
- 4:00 pm: Liverpool vs. Napoli
- 4:00 pm: Marseille vs. Tottenham Hotspur
- 4:00 pm: Rangers FC vs. Ajax
- 4:00 pm: Sporting CP vs. Eintracht Frankfurt
FORWARDS/MIDFIELDERS
Until lineups come out, this slate is mostly a guessing game. Liverpool are the third-biggest favorite, yet there's a chance they rest a few of their regulars coming off a bad weekend loss to Leeds. The two biggest favorites in Barcelona and Bayern Munich are expected to rotate a bit, which also means minutes aren't guaranteed. It makes the most sense to stack one or two matches and hope that game pops off. My money is on the Rangers-Ajax contest, as Rangers are home in their last UEFA contest, while Ajax will be looking to end group stages with some positive momentum.
Steven Berghuis, AJA at RAN ($15): That leads me to taking a chance on a couple Ajax players. Berghuis is on a set pieces and had a goal and assist in the first meeting. He'd only have more upside if in the front three, so that'll be something to monitor once lineups release. I'd be fine using a combination of any of their forwards with Mohammed Kudus ($19), Steven Bergwijn ($18) and Dusan Tadic ($16) all in play. Of note, if none of them start, I'd be a bit wary as they clearly won't have a ton of motivation to win. I don't hate anyone on the Rangers side, as they're all fairly cheap. Antonio Colak ($14) would be a decent GPP target since he won't be popular, while Ryan Kent ($10) seems most likely to go a full 90 of their attackers.
Ferran Torres, BAR at PLZ ($20): Torres seems likely to start since Robert Lewandowski didn't travel with the team. If he was guaranteed a full 90, he wouldn't be a difficult play. However, all of the Barcelona guys are in play to be subbed off early, including Raphinha ($19), who is a better cash play. Torres hasn't seen a ton of time the last few months, but he has the quality to torch a weaker side and that's what Plzen present. Barcelona will be popular, so that's the main downfall with them in addition to sub risk and the same goes for Bayern Munich. That's one of the main reasons I kind of prefer Ajax.
Son Heung-Min, TOT at MAR ($20): As usual, it only makes sense to play Son and Harry Kane ($20) together. Marseille are more in need of a win in this matchup, which means Son and Kane should get plenty of counterattacking opportunities. On the other side of that, if Marseille score early, Tottenham will be on the attack until they can score. There's a fine line between viability depending on game scripts for a lot of players, but for the most part, it seems like these Tottenham guys will be set for production no matter how the match goes. Then again, if it finishes scoreless, the Marseille set-piece takers (Jordan Veretout and Amine Harit) would probably finish with more than Son and Kane.
The Sporting-Frankfurt match is the same as the Tottenham one in terms of one team needing more points than the other. Daichi Kamada ($14) could be set for a huge floor if Frankfurt never find a goal and on the other side, Marcus Edwards ($16) could be in a ton of favorable counter-attacking positions.
Given the uncertainty of lineups, you could take any route on this slate. The big favorites will be most popular, which should make it easy to build a squad for tournaments, as players from the other four matches should all be viable.
DEFENDERS
Goncalo Inacio, LIS vs. SGE ($9): There are a couple routes to take at defender and as usual, it makes sense to stack a couple guys from the same team. Frankfurt need to beat Sporting, so my first move is to take two of the Sporting center-backs. They run with three center-backs, but if Frankfurt have to push for close to 90 minutes, there should be enough defensive stats to go around, leading to 15 or even 20-point floors. You could take the same route with Tottenham or one of the bigger favorites if you think Bayern and Barcelona will force a lot of defensive action.
GOALKEEPER
Antonio Adan, LIS vs. SGE ($11): It's a tough slate for goalkeeper, as the big favorites don't have overly great odds to secure a clean sheet. I'm taking a chance on Adan at home, but Hugo Lloris ($11) is in the same situation where he could make a ton of saves and be in play for a clean sheet. Maybe more than other slates, it's important to correlate your goalkeeper with the rest of your lineup. If you're going Bayern or Barcelona forwards, don't use the opposing goalkeeper.
